Adhesive coated decorated sheet material



Oct. 18, 1960 E. F. ROYAL 2,956,703

ADHESIVE COATED DECORATED SHEET MATERIAL Original Filed Feb. 8, 1955 INVENTOR. v EDWARD ROYAL.

ATTORNEY United States Patent ADHESIVE COATED DECORATED SHEET MATERIAL Edward F. Royal, Chestnut Hill, Norwalk, Conn.

Continuation of application Ser. No. 486,796, Feb. 8, 1955. This application Dec. 19, 1956, Ser. No. 629,379

1 'Claim. (Cl. 216-62) This invention relates to sheet material, particularly material decorated with patterns which must be matched in application of the material, and aims to provide a simple, inexpensive means to make possible the use of pressure sensitive adhesive in combination with such decorated material.

Decorated sheet material (such as wall paper, coated fabrics and plastic sheeting) is often applied to various surfaces which are larger than the individual sheets used; in such cases it is necessary to match the pattern where one exists. This is normally done by applying a wet adhesive to the individual sheets, aflixing a first strip, and then sliding the second strip about on the surface relative to the first strip until the patterns match, and then smoothing out the second sheet.

In order to simplify the application of such sheet material, wall paper and the like has been coated with adhesive in the factory; the paper is wet before application, and handled like ordinary paper to which adhesive is applied on the job.

The desirability of a pressure sensitive adhesive for the job is obviousits use would avoid the problem of treating the paper with Water. Sheet material has in fact been prepared with pressure sensitive adhesive, with a removable backing of disposable materiale.g. waxed paper, holland clothto obviate the difliculty of the sheet material sticking to itself. But the problem of matching the patterns to produce a large surface has held up the application of the idea to patterned Wall coverings and the like. The difficulty is that a material backed with pressure sensitive material will not slide on a wall or other surface like paper coated with wet paste, so that it must be matched before stripping. While the backing is stripped, the match is lost. Anything which pulls the matching edge away from the afixed strip is sufficient to prevent a good match.

I solve this problem, in accordance with my invention, by using a sheet of patterned material, coated on the back with pressure sensitive adhesive, and providing it with a removable backing of disposable material divided parallel to the edge where the pattern is to be matched, at a point along the width of the sheet from that edge. When the patterns are matched, and while held at the match, the backing is removed from the side away from the matched edge. It is then affixed to the surface being coated. The matched edge is then lifted, being retained in place by the anchored portion; the remainder of the backing is stripped away, and the remainder of the sheet is aifixed to the surface.

The invention can best be understood by referring to the drawings, in which Fig. 1 is an elevation of a sheet of wall covering being applied in matched position to a sheet already on a wall.

Fig. 2 is a plan view of the back of a sheet of wall covering in accordance with my invention.

Fig. 3 is a section through the line 3-3 of Fig. 2.

My sheeting consists of a base '10 of paper, fabric or plastic, or even metal foil, carrying on the top surface a color coating 12 and a design 14, and on its bottom a layer of pressure sensitive adhesive 16. A protective sheet 18 of holland cloth, waxed paper or the like covers the pressure sensitive adhesive, and permits the sheeting to be rolled into the typical roll, or to be handled fiat without danger of sticking.

A slit 20 separates the backing 18 into an independently removable minor segment 22 and a second segment 24. I preferably provide a second slit 26 in the segment 24 of backing material to permit the sheet to be hung in either direction.

As can be seen in Fig. l, the first sheet is applied to the wall, the backing stripped, and afixed by pressure. The second strip is matched to the first strip, as indicated; the backing piece 22 is pulled away while maintaining the whole piece in matched relation, and then the exposed portion is affixed to the wall by pressure. The unattached portion is then folded back, stripped, and attached; because it has been anchored, it goes right into place in matching position.

While a single slit is ample, I prefer to supply a second slit 26, dividing the backing roughly into three parts. The second slit permits the paper to be hung either to the right or left of the original strip; it permits reversal of the direction in geometrical and random patternsoften desirable. Finally, it permits a three stage operation, putting less tension on the fabric during the operation. Additional slitting can, of course, be provided as desired.

The invention is applicable to wall paper, wall coverings of coated textile or of plastic sheeting, and to similar sheeting used for other surfaces of varying sorts. In general, these products are sold in roll form, and the slit will be parallel to the edge of the roll.

While the invention is particularly applicable to patterned sheets, it is also applicable to sheets without a design, decorated in plain colors, where the problem involves getting an evenly butted edge only, and not a match as well. With the large heavy sheets commonly hung on walls, even this problem of getting a true butt edge is extremely difficult without sliding the pieces after laying them on the wall. My invention solves this too.

Obviously, the invention is not limited to the specific embodiment shown in the drawings, and the scope is set forth in the claims.

This application is a continuation of my application SN 486,796, filed February 8, 1955, now abandoned.

I claim:

The method of decorating a wall which comprises providing a wall covering comprising a decorated surface web with pressure sensitive adhesive on the back thereof, and a removable protective backing over the pressure sensitive adhesive lying in a single plane, and divided into multiple pieces parallel to the length of the web, cutting the web into pieces approximating the length of wall to be covered by the individual pieces, applying the piece to a Wall and moving it horizontally and vertically until it is in the desired position with an edge butting against the edge of the wall or the edge of previously hung wall covering, stripping the backing from the edge of the piece away from the butted edge while maintaining the piece in butted position, adhering the stripped length of wall covering to the wall, and finally removing the backing from the butted edge and adhering it to the wall in butted position.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,096,389 Bode Oct. 19, 1937 2,246,984 Palmer June 24, 1941 2,303,346 Flood Dec. 1, 1942 2,438,828 Sims Mar. 30, '1948 

